Mothers of Middle Earth
by ArWen of sMirkwood
Summary: A bit late I know, but just a little fic I thought up during Mothers' Day. Post-ROTK. A little tribute to the almost non-existent women in ME...please read and review, hannon lle!


AU.May borrow some elements from the movies. Just a little fic done   
on Mothers' Day, set off by thinking about how small a role females   
have to play in Middle Earth. No brilliant plot or anything. Please   
review, thanks.  
I don't know how many of you celebrate Mothers' Day, but, anyway...  
"Father, may we stop, please?"  
  
King Elessar of Gondor and Arnor looked sternly at his eight-year-  
old son Eldarion, who was securely perched in front of him on the   
man's mount Roheryn, that he had brought south. The boy had insisted   
on riding with his father, rather than on his own sturdy pony.  
  
"No, my son. We took a long enough time with lunch."  
  
"Mother, please tell Father that we can stop!" Eldarion turned   
imploringly to Queen Undomiel, riding alongside at their right hand   
side.  
  
Elessar nearly laughed. The boy had adopted most of his features,   
with very similar dark hair and grey eyes, but right then he and his   
mother shared the same wheedling look that Arwen turned on him when   
she wanted something very badly.  
  
" We do not stop till we reach our campsite tonight. "  
  
"Father!"Eldarion protested loudly.  
  
As if to punctuate his point, a chorus of groans sounded behind him.  
  
"Estel...,"Arwen began, then stopped. Her husband's mouth was   
arranged in a crooked smile. He was merely teasing. She returned the   
smile easily. She should have known that Estel would always melt   
under her puppy-dog look;it was too powerful, and had lost none of   
its potency even though she rarely used that tactic. Arwen Undomiel   
was not one who easily turned to begging for what she wanted, not   
even with her husband.  
  
Elessar selected a sprawling stand of trees to shelter under. It had   
been an unusually hot summer. The sun blazed, hotter than the fires   
of the now-dormant Oroduin in Mordor, and the air shimmered. The   
earth itself was searing with heat.The trees were leafy and the   
branches spread extensively, effectively deflecting most of the heat.  
  
"I feel like roasted meat sizzling upon a fire," the royal family's   
companion Legolas commented. "Now why did I decide to move south?"  
  
Elessar was secretly gratified to see the Elf's dishevelled   
appearance. Sometimes it thoroughly irked him to see his friend seem   
immune to all harsh weather conditions and situations. Always the   
Elf looked immaculate. Now, though, a sheen of sweat was on the high   
forehead, and his golden locks were damp and plastered upon his   
head. His fair complexion had turned a lobster red. Suddenly Elessar   
recalled the journey of Caradhras during the War of the Ring, and   
snow flecked on the Elf's hair and lining his brows after the   
avalanche. He could not help the smile that tugged at the sides of   
his mouth.  
  
"Aye. Though you will be delicious meat to Orcs and Wargs, no   
doubt," Gimli Gloin's son, and a great friend of the King as well,   
teased. "And no one threatened you with a blade to remove hither,   
Elf. Who promised that the People of the Wood would bring singing   
birds and undying trees to Gondor?"  
  
"I should have left myself out of the 'people of the wood'," Legolas   
muttered. He stopped when Eldarion came up asking for a story, with   
his sisters, Eldariel and Eldarel, in tow. They tagged along   
everywhere and this irritated the boy to no end.  
The entire company was relieved as they moved further north and the   
heat simmered, rather than boiled. The King had decided to ride   
north with the entire royal family, in part to escape the unbearable   
summer heat, and to visit again the lands that he missed sorely. His   
heart would always be with the North, it was his home. With them,   
was a small escort composed of the Guard of the Citadel, the   
children's nursemaids to help care for them, Gimli, and Legolas and   
his elven folk of Ithilien. Elessar had decided not to bring more   
guards;there were no human warriors more skilled than Legolas and   
his people, and Gimli was also a stout warrior. They were the best   
protection that any King would ever find.  
  
Elessar smiled as he looked around at his collection of family and   
friends. Minas Tirith and his kingly duties seemed far behind him   
now. He was again a Ranger, Dunadan, wandering in the wilderness,   
going whither he pleased. He had left Gondor to the capable hands of   
his Steward Faramir and so had no reason to worry unduly.  
  
"We are come to the Golden Wood!" Legolas cried gladly, bringing   
Elessar back to the situation at hand. "Aragorn, let us go ahead to   
announce our presence, while your men remain at the eaves."  
  
Elessar nodded. He cared not how he was called by his loved ones,   
and anyway he actually preferred to go by his old name Aragorn.  
  
Arwen led the way, using the paths through the woods for horses.   
Above them the treetops were bathed in a shimmering haze as the   
gentle, cooling breeze caressed the yellow flowers. The ground was   
strewn with the flowers too; the grey trunks of the trees glimmered   
faintly like dull silver.   
  
Soon they met the Elves of Lorien, who recognised them immediately   
and bade them enter. Legolas returned with an Elf to fetch the rest   
of their procession; Aragorn, Arwen and Gimli were led towards Caras   
Galadhon.  
  
The Lord and Lady of Lorien had been expecting them, and greeted   
their guests gladly. The oval-shaped chamber where they received   
their guests(when there were any) was more packed than it had been   
for a long time.  
  
"Here is someone you may be glad to see," Galadriel said, turning to   
Arwen. Behind her, Elladan and Elrohir her brothers appeared, and   
Arwen exclaimed in delight as she embraced her brothers quickly.   
Aragorn shook their hands and then embraced each twin. As brothers   
they were to him, as well as brothers-in-law now. The twins smiled   
and gave quick nods in greeting to Legolas and Gimli.  
  
Yet behind the brothers was another figure.  
  
"Adar!" Arwen cried out, and Elrond swept his daughter into his arms   
and held her tightly.  
  
"You behave in a most ungainly manner for a Queen of Men, Arwen,"   
Elladan said with an amused smile.  
  
"I am no Queen here," Arwen answered glibly as she extricated   
herself from her father's embrace, blushing slightly.  
  
"You mean the Lord of Imladris behaves ungainly," Elrond defended   
his daughter with a smile.  
  
"The feast will begin in the evening," Celeborn announced.  
The feast was held under the trees, in a large clearing. Strings of   
lanterns snaked around the trunks, and that night the trees looked   
like giant glowing fireflies. A roaring bonfire illuminated the   
venue. The notes of harps and flutes and horns mingled with the fair   
elven songs. Conversations floated back and forth among the merry-  
makers; occasionally silver laughter drifted across the night air,   
like the clear ringing of bells. Gems and flowers glittered in the   
hair and on the clothes of the merry-makers.  
  
Lorien, Eryn Lasgalen and Imladris elves were present, and this   
night they mixed together as one;there was no difference between   
them. The Beornings and the Woodmen, owing to their close proximity   
to the area, had also been invited, and Aragorn's escort joined in.   
Plates and bowls were laden with roasted meats, fruits, greens,   
savoury stews, think soups, sumptuous pastries(including the honey   
cakes of the Beornings, much to Gimli's delight) and a mouth-  
watering array of desserts. Bottles of fine wine, some of the better   
brews, complemented the fine fare very well indeed.  
  
Legolas's face was content as he lay on the ground with Gimli and   
Aragorn's children about him, identifying the stars for the excited   
young ones. Legolas's remaining people in his long home Eryn   
Lasgalen had arrived with his father Thranduil;the reunion had been   
joyful, if a little awkward at first, for Legolas had never felt   
truly at ease with his stern father.  
  
Elrond, Arwen, Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir, and Galadriel and   
Celeborn sat together and ate and drank, talking about everything   
and nothing at once. It was long since they had all been gathered   
together like this as a family, and they were cherishing every   
second of it. Legolas and Gimli squeezed their way in and smiled as   
they watched the little group bantering and trading jokes with each   
other. Elladan, Elrohir and Aragorn had now engaged themselves in a   
boisterous drinking game and were noisily downing goblets of wine   
and challenging one another. They banged their goblets together, a   
little too exuberantly, and the wine sloshed out, the cherry-red   
wine dotting the white garb of Galadriel. She shook her head as the   
trio threw apologetic looks in her direction and went on with their   
game. Legolas egged the twins on; Gimli took the side of Aragorn.  
  
Thranduil had been in such a good mood that he had even brought   
along his store of the vintage Dorwinion from Eryn Lasgalen(though   
he would regret that eventually), which he now offered Celeborn. The   
Lord of the Galadhrim gave his kinsman a strange look but accepted   
the offer without preamble, and filled the cups of all at his table.  
  
"A toast to the fair Lady Galadriel!" Gimli raised his mug of frothy   
ale.   
  
"A toast to the Lord and Lady of Lorien!" All gathered at Celeborn's   
table took up the chant, and held their goblets high.   
  
Suddenly Gimli yelped as someone banged into him from behind. The   
Dwarf's face landed in the blancmange while his mug flew from his   
hand, emptied its contents onto Galadriel, and landed onto the   
grass, fortunately without breaking.  
  
Galadriel drew in her breath with a sharp hiss. Her face and hair   
dripped with ale, droplets marring her beautiful white gown. The   
younger Elves choked on their wine as they resisted the urge to   
laugh; Thranduil and Elrond pressed their lips tightly and made   
strange noises in an attempt to stem their mirth, but Celeborn her   
husband hooted heartily.  
  
Gimli snorted and shook his head like a wet dog, shaking off bits of   
the blancmange.  
  
This time the table exploded with laughter, Galadriel included.  
  
Eldarion and his sisters had been playing a game of Tag, and   
Eldarion had not noticed where he had been going when he rammed   
straight into Gimli. Eyes wide, the children cowered away, afraid.  
  
"Apologize, immediately," Aragorn grew serious and gave his children   
a look that meant business.  
  
The children mumbled an apology and fled.  
  
Galadriel excused herself to have herself and her dwarven guest   
cleaned up, got up, and spun around, only to walk smack into one of   
her servants who had a tray of cakes and another tray of desserts   
balanced precariously with her two hands. The laden trays tipped   
over and all the food splattered onto Galadriel's gown and arms.  
  
She stood there dumbly, exasperated beyond description.  
  
Cream, with crumbs of cake sticking to it, decorated the soft fabric   
of her raiment, and many other stains.  
  
Soon the whole table was guffawing wholeheartedly. The sight of the   
Lady of Lorien like this was priceless.  
  
"Come, Galadriel, do not bother with changing," Celeborn laid his   
hand on her arm and pulled her back gently, his eyes dancing with   
merriment.  
  
"A toast to the Lady Galadriel!"Gimli began again, chuckling,and all   
rasied their goblets again and drank to the health of their hosts.  
  
"A toast to my daughter the Lady Celebrian!" Galadriel decided to   
take things easily this merry night." She was born on this day."  
  
"To Celebrian my beautiful wife," Elrond declared more quietly. He   
had had not as much to drink as the others.  
  
"To our wonderful mother," Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen chorused. All   
took a sip from their drinking vessels.  
  
"To my mother Gilraen," Aragorn put in. Another swig, and another   
round of the Dorwinion.  
  
"To my mother Tindiel," Legolas added, and turned to his father,   
who smiled. Thranduil's eyes were both sad, at the loss of his   
treasured wife, and happy at the sweet memories.  
  
"To Elwing my mother," Elrond interjected.  
  
"To Mother!" Eldarion's childish voice piped up out of nowhere.  
  
The clattering of the goblets sounded clearly as Celeborn's guests   
held up their goblets at each name, but was drowned out by the noise   
of merry-making.  
  
"To my mother Earwen!" Galadriel horned in, her peals of laughter   
pitched higher than usual.  
  
"To all the mothers that ever were in Middle Earth!" Gimli   
concluded, and the goblets clashed so harshly that they were almost   
jarred onto the ground.  
  
Galadriel burped very loudly, so loudly that it echoed through the   
clearing, a very unbecoming act indeed. The Dorwinion was a very   
potent wine indeed. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth and   
actually threw up, all over the ground and her dress.  
  
It was hard to tell whose face was redder, Celeborn or Galadriel's;   
the former from embarassment and the latter from being drunk.   
Excusing them as gracefully as possible Celeborn literally had to   
drag his wife over the grass. The only comfort was that the others   
were too engrossed in their activities to notice.  
  
The End 


End file.
